Manifesto of Montecristi - An Intro

The war of independence had started in Cuba on February 24 1895, but
José Martí and Maximo Gómez were still in Montecristi,
Santo Domingo, trying to get to Cuba, when Martí wrote the document.

Known as the Manifesto of Montecristi, the document was a
message to the Cuban people, outlining the policy and goals of the Cuban
liberation movement. Martí and Gómez signed it on March 25 1895.
In it, Martí paints Cuba as a completely independent republic, free from
economic or military control by any outside source. He sees an end to Cuba's
one-crop economy and U.S. domination, an end to racial discrimination, and the
embrace of Cuba's African population.

The document also outlines what is to be the policy for Cuba's war of
independence:

The war was to be waged by blacks and whites alike;

Participation of all blacks was crucial for victory;

Spaniards who did not object to the war effort should be spared,

Private rural properties should not be damaged; and

The revolution should bring new economic life to Cuba.

Within weeks of signing this document, Martí and Gómez
returned to Cuba to participate in the war. Martí was killed in battle
on May 19 1895, and three years later, when the war ended, Cuba emerged as a
pseudo-colony of the U.S.